Someting for everyone at the Ah Haa!!!

For the rest of the summer, the Ah Haa is offering a variety of classes to choose from! Whether you enjoy mushrooms, playwriting, baking, working with concrete & steel, or taking photos, the Ah Haa has something for everyone!

Get out in Telluride's high country and enjoy an afternoon of hiking and mushroom picking with guide John Sir Jesse this Thursday from 9-1 pm. In the late afternoon students will reconvene in the kitchen where Chef Bertrand Marchal will transform the day's pick into a scrumptious main course.

Another exciting offering from Jon Hubbard! Learn how to combine concrete and steel into amazing and functional furniture or sculptures on August 21 & 22 down at the Deep Creek Studio.

Did you ever want to write and produce your own play? Well here's your chance! Sasha Cuccinello of Squidshow will take you on a journey from page to stage. SIgn up for this course August 23-26 from 6-9 pm.

Meredith Nemirov is back with watercolor figure painting. This workshop is a fun and challenging introduction to examining the human form through watercolor August 21 & 22.

Enjoy the art of artisan baking with Milt & Carole Quam! In this introductory baking course, students will learn developments of formulas, bakers percentages, mixing, shaping, and the use of prefermented flour August 28 from 3-6 pm.

Just in time for the splendor of fall colors, Visiting Artist David Edwards will be leading a three day photographic workshop September 9-11. Don't miss the opportunity to work with Dave who is famous for his Kazakh Eagle Hunter Series he shot for National Geographic.

We look forward to seeing you at the Ah Haa!

Something for Everyone at the Ah Haa!!!

For the rest of the summer, the Ah Haa is offering a variety of classes to choose from!  Whether you enjoy mushrooms, playwriting, baking, working with concrete & steel, or taking photos, the Ah Haa has something for everyone!

Get out in Telluride’s high country and enjoy an afternoon of hiking and mushroom picking with guide John Sir Jesse 

on August 19 from 9-1 pm.  In the late afternoon students will reconvene in the kitchen where Chef Bertrand Marchal 

will transform the day’s pick into a scrumptious main course.

Another exciting offering from Jon Hubbard!  Learn how to combine concrete and steel into amazing and functional 

furniture or sculptures on August 21 & 22 down at the Deep Creek Studio.

Did you ever want to write and produce your own play?  Well here’s your chance!  Sasha Cuccinello of Squidshow 

will take you on a journey from page to stage.  Sign up for this course August 23-26 from 6-9 pm.

Meredith Nemirov is back with watercolor figure painting.  This workshop is a fun and challenging introduction to 

examining the human form through watercolor August 21 & 22.  

Enjoy the art of artisan baking with Milt & Carole Quam!  In this introductory baking course, students will learn 

developments of formulas, bakers percentages, mixing, shaping, and the use of prefermented flour August 28 from 

3-6 pm.

Just in time for the splendor of fall colors, Visiting Artist David Edwards will be leading a three day photographic 

workshop September 9-11.  Don’t miss the opportunity to work with Dave who is famous for his Kazakh Eagle 

Hunter Series he shot for National Geographic.

Countdown to the 18th Annual Ah Haa Art Auction!

It's that time of year again!  The Ah Haa staff, board, volunteers, and community are buzzing about the Annual Ah Haa Art Auction!  Each summer the Ah Haa School for the Arts picks a radically different theme for their annual art auction, from Laugh-In to Road Trip, to this year’s theme of ARTopia. You are probably wondering "Why is this called ARTopia? What is that?" Well, the definition for the word utopia means "an imaginary place considered perfect or ideal". Here at the Ah Haa School for the Arts, imaginations of students come ALIVE! So ARTopia is a perfect place to let your imagination run, and your creativity fly! It's where we can honor our creativity, meaning it's a place we create, reward, and respect our creative selves.

This annual fundraiser consists of energy-charged live and silent auctions, with over 200 items of original art, services and trips donated by the region’s artists, businesses and supporters of the Ah Haa. Many of the pieces that will be on the auction block have been specifically made for this event by our community’s talented artists. Celebrity artist, Bill Kreutzmann, former Grateful Dead drummer, has placed his unique artwork on a pair of Wagner Skis which will be custom made for the winning bidder.  The live auction will also feature the artwork of Ally Crilly, Susie Billings, Julee Hucthinson, Nicole Finger, Flair Robinson, and of course an art car which is a 1969 VW bug coolly decorated with an earthy charm. 

ARTopia is Ah Haa’s largest and most important fundraising event of the year. It supports the school’s operations, specifically, the spectrum of programs and workshops offered by the school. Your attendance and generous support allow the Ah Haa to continue improving and diversifying course offerings, enhancing program excellence, and serving new audiences.   

Ah Haa encourages everyone to attend this one of a kind event! Doors open at 5:00 p.m. for silent auction bidding, and the live auction begins promptly at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person and are purchased at the door on the night of the event.

For a preview of all art on the auction block and absentee bidding forms (if you’re not going to be in town), visit Ah Haa’s website at ahhaa.org or this year, art lovers can place a bid online starting July 1-July 22.  To place a bid, go to www.biddingforgood.com/ahhaa.  For more information about the Ah Haa and the 18th annual art auction call 970-728-3886.

We hope to see you there!

Teaching & Learning at the Ah Haa

In the years before I came to the Ah Haa school, I was actually a full-fledged classroom teacher. This June, I decided to kick-off the year with a couple of theatre classes for kids called "Superhero Theatre". The classes, a mix of games, theatre and costume-construction, became very popular and I suddenly found myself thrown into back into the roll as a teacher - but this time I was an art teacher. It was quite wonderful and as the kids and I sang superhero songs and decorated our capes, I came to realize another magical aspect of my job here at the Ah Haa. I help to emply teachers who make magic happen. From Brooke Ahana's fabulous color-theory based abstract painting classes, to the amazing clay creatures that Jacey Depriest helps four-and-five-year-olds to mold into life, I am constantly amazed at the ability of our instructors to convert the magic and imagination you find in every child into various forms of art. Thank you to our amazing instructors and to all you parents who believe that the Ah Haa is a place for fun and transformation. The summer of 2010 is certainly something to remember.

Get ready for the 4th of July Parade at the Ah Haa!

This week at the Ah Haa so many great classes are geared to getting your young ones in the spirit of the 4th!  Fun can be had for all ages at our Fabulous Fridays!  This Friday have your children jump into painting red, white & stripes on bisqueware, handpainting patriotic flags to wave high at the parade,  creating topsy turvy 4th of July top hats to march down Main Street, and much more! 

The Ah Haa staff will be participating in the fun on Sunday, July 4th!  Come cheer us on as we stroll down Main St. in the ARTopia VW Beetle and the custom welded Cow Cruiser!  Both of these items will be auctioned off at this year's Ah Haa Art Auction!  So many great items will be showcased at this year's auction and you may bid early at www.biddingforgood.com/ahhaa!  Check out the fabulous items now!

What I Love About the Ah Haa....

The Depots back patio that sits on the Telluride River Trail is one of my favorite summer hangouts (even outside of work). Steps adorned with painted birdhouses, flowers everywhere and bistro chairs and tables is the ultimate setting for just being quite and listen to the river and catching rays. I read, I space out, I meet friends. Come check out this secret location and see if you don't stay a little longer than you thought. The only thing missing is nice ice coffee.

Batik Prayer Flags just finished up this week. Check out some of the amazing creations. We ARE blessed :)

Beautiful Weather for Bluegrass

Telluride is filling with people for this year's Bluegrass Festival.  On your way down the river trail to Town Park, stop by the Ah Haa and check out the psychedelic art of Bill Kreutzmann, former drummer and founding member of the Grateful Dead.  His colorful and vibrant work is hanging in our East Room Gallery.  Bill just happens to be the Celebrity Artist for the 18th Annual Ah Haa Art Auction and this year's live auction line up includes a pair of custom Wagner skis featuring his original artwork.  Mark your calendar for Friday, July 23rd and be sure to register early to bid on these one of a kind skis...tickets to this year's auction go on sale today!

Summer has Returned at the Ah Haa!

You know it's summer at the Ah Haa when you find people entering through the back door from the river trail finding out about classes or what the new exhibition is in the gallery.  Or the many little children flying around on the patio in their favorite superhero costume they just made.  Ah Haa is alive!

This weekend, the Ridgway Museum Galloping Goose Train will be running on Saturday, June 12 from 11 am to 4 pm for the celebration of Heritage Fest.  Children, along with adults will step foot onto the historic Galloping Goose Train just like in the old days when people boarded the trains at the Depot station.  This is a fun filled event including face painting, singing, and more!  What better way to enjoy the weekend than stepping back in time and reliving the days of historic Telluride.

What I Love About the Ah Haa....

I love the Ah Haa School for the Arts for the diversity of people and creativity that walk thru the doors. From kids to adults, it is always a joy to watch all the fantastic things that come to life here. It's like a peak into everyone's imagination. And with kids summer camps starting next Monday, I am sure to be blown away on a daily basis! Check back for my Fantastic Creation posts!

Mountainfilm Gallery Walk Tonight!

The Ah Haa School is excited to be a part of the Mountainfilm Gallery Walk tonight from 3:30 to 6:30pm. On our front deck you can see Anthony Holbrooke’s intricate and varied marble sculptures. In our East Room gallery you can view the works of Charlotta Janssen whose depictions of the Freedom Riders cleverly incorporate original photographs. Finally, the Daniel Tucker Gallery is filled with the breathtakingly vibrant (and sometimes heartbreaking) photography of the International League of Conservation Photographers. Be sure to stop by the historic depot to view these three amazing exhibits!

Summer is exploding with kids classes at the Ah Haa!

Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grown up." I came across this quote a few months ago, while our staff was busy crafting our largest catalogue yet, this summer's 2010 catalogue. When I got to the kids section, I remembered this quote and decided to make this summer's catalogue the answer to that question, or as close to it as I could come anyway. The more we worked on the catalogue, the equation became simple: amazing instructors (the ones that excite and inspire), combined with free and open projects (the ones that allow kids to really soar) and seasoned with a rainbow of different artistic disciplines (the kind which adult artists use for making sense of the world around them). This was the equation. Treat everyone like an artist and give them room to run.

I think that the reason why adults sometimes fail to "remain artists", as Picasso puts it, is because we fail to remain kids. We replace responsibility for our mortgage, or our jobs, with responsibility for our hearts, or the exercizing of our imagination. I was a classroom teacher for the six years prior to my time at Ah Haa and when creating that kids portion of our catalogue, I've often had to fight against my "adult-teacher" instinct to map out all the learning that will take place in each class.

How do I do that?

I help out in classes, where I can hang out with kids and watch my wonderful open instructors work towards smiles and imagination. I ask kids what they're making and listen and where their inspiration comes from, no matter how much sense it makes. Most of all, I ask my adult artists. They don't need to try and think like kids....they never really left.

Come to the Ah Haa this summer. 150 kids classes and 60 adult classes. Reconnect with your imagination.

Ready, set, create! Let's get the summer started!

It's almost here! I can smell summer in the air. Each day the trees get a little greener, the river gets a little higher and the beauty that surrounds us beckons us to come out to play and to create! In less than one week, the Ah Haa School will be in full swing for the summer season. This is my favorite time of year when the school is just brimming with activity and the energy here is amazing! I absolutely love to look around at the kids’ faces while they’re painting or sculpting or gluing. Whether they’re focused in concentration or smiling from ear to ear, these kids are connecting with their creative, imaginative side – and loving it.

There are so many kids and adult classes and workshops, activities for the family, visiting artist programs and monthly rotating artist exhibitions planned at the school all summer long. Of course, the don’t miss event of the summer the Annual Art Auction on July 23rd! The Ah Haa School will be utilizing every nook and cranny of its renovated space at the Depot, on the edge of the San Miguel River, to provide a great experience for kids and adults of all ages and let their imaginations blossom!

Come by and participate and explore the worlds of Ah Haa, where individuals connect to their imaginations, artists connect to our community and the community can connect to the arts!

A world of creativity and imagination awaits you this summer at the Ah Haa School! See you in a class soon.

Rachel Lee
Executive Director

Ah Haa's EGGstravaganza SATURDAY

 

EGGstravaganza Family Day

Saturday April 3 |  11AM to 1PM
Bring your parents to the Ah Haa School Saturday to create fun Easter crafts like:
bunny & chicken cups
thumb print bunny cards
face painting
feathered egg cartons friends
painting birdhouses
and the Easter Bunny will be hopping by at noon to wish everyone a Happy Easter!!
Come join the fun!

Let Your Inner Artist Come Out & Play for FREE!

The Ah Haa School is bringing art back to the people this March! 
March is Rediscover Art Month at the Ah Haa
Come  & try a samplings of our favorite classes, during our FREE open house Tuesdays from 5 - 7PM!  See where your creativity can take you and let the Ah Haa School be your guide.

Our last two Tuesdays have been a huge success! Jacey DePriest introduced budding sculptors to clay on Tuesday the 9th and Jon Hubbard's Copper & Steel Forging demonstration enticed many future artists!

Join us this Tuesday for Watercolor Postcards with Meredith Nemirov from 5 - 7PM Jump in and play with watercolors with Meredith Nemirov. Create a handmade postcard. If you like it, ask Meredith about her upcoming summer classes and Plein Air watercolor retreat on Sheep Mountain!

And on the 30th join Nancy Craft and I for Collage Crafts! Don’t be intimidated! Creating can be fun and messy without pressure. Let us give you a hands-on introduction to the wonderful and fun world of collage!

This is a great opportunity to rediscover your creative side. We all have it and the Ah Haa wants to help you nurture it!

Check out our podcast and all the other cool things happening in Telluride at www.TellurideInside.com

Ancient Korean Pottery Techniques

Join Adam in a two-day workshop and witness demonstrations of traditional coil and paddle techniques used for making massive Onggi jars and Adam’s own geometrically carved forms. Adam will also show slides and videos of his experience in Korea, and will speak about the history of Onggi and its important role as an anchor in Korea’s ancient traditions, and it’s place in contemporary ceramics. This workshop is expected to fill up quick so please register soon to guarantee a seat!

March 6 & 7  |  Saturday & Sunday  |  10AM – 2PM  |  $125

Life on Telluride

Don't miss MD Famous Artist's new work in the Daniel Tucker Gallery here at the Ah Haa. This wonderful and colorful show will transport you to a world of color and joy through the month of February.

Mountian Village's CoolSculpt 2010

The Mountain Village 2010 CoolSculpt was just this past weekend and the Ah Haa School for the Arts invaded it! Represented by the staff, Rachel, Lauren, Kathleen, Colin and Laura and under the direction and inspiration of local artist Jared David Paul, Team Ah Haa, went retro and created a giant space invader! Waiting for the results today!

5 4 3 2 1...SUCCESS

This 1st Annual Ah Haa Winter Gala was a huge success. Held on New Year's Eve at the School, this years featured artist, Bruce A Gómez, adorned the walls of the Daniel Tucker Gallery with his stunning and tranquil work. Work the reminds us all why we love Telluride. New and old friends of the Ah Haa put their best foot forward and were wined and dined beginning with a Champagne Reception and Raw Bar followed by a four course sit down dinner. Bruce and the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art kindly donated one original work as well as one private commissioned piece that were auctioned during dinner. A selection of fine wine was available during the evenings silent auction. Glasses and much appreciated funds were raised to the Ah Haa and the beginning of 2010!

Cheers to a new decade and all the creative adventures to come!